All these terms and their American variations are common and well accepted either way in Canada.

I suspect some of these terms have been supplanted in England, but in other cases our American country cousins invented new terminology.
For example, Lavratory or Loo is new. Toilet is old derived from french, but with an enhanced more specific meaning. Restroom and Washroom are obvious euphemisms, but there is no plain old american equivalent, now that outhouses are passe.

Regards, Paul V.

JoWednesday, March 24, 2004, 20:03 GMT

American terms that died out in England.

Candy = sweet

EdWednesday, March 24, 2004, 22:38 GMT

You will hear words like garbage, trash, still used in certain parts of England. But they're definetely not as popular as the other equivilents. Fall is also another term that you will hear in some parts but rare and by the older generation.

The offensive American term "Faggot" also used to be used in England to mean the same thing. It also used to mean "meatball" but that is a term dieing out. The word "gotten" is probably a word you'd hear from a five year old.

mjd Thursday, March 25, 2004, 01:32 GMT

I suspect "gotten" just evolved out of use in England because they retain "forgotten" and "begotten."

JoeThursday, March 25, 2004, 03:11 GMT

I've got a bicycle. I own one
I've gotten a bicycle. I have had one.

So, Britons can't distinguish between these two sentences because ''gotten'' is not used in England.

SimonThursday, March 25, 2004, 09:14 GMT

I have heard that the historical past participle of GOT was GETTEN. Maybe GOTTEN evolved from that (on the basis of FORGOTTEN) or is simply an American development, who knows.

SimonThursday, March 25, 2004, 09:16 GMT

Yes but Joe, I would use "I've got" for "I own" and "I got" for "I received/obtained" etc. For "I have had one" I would use precisely that.

"In England, the old past participle "gotten" dropped out of use except in such stock phrases as "ill-gotten" and "gotten up," but in the U.S. it is still considered interchangeable with "got" as the past participle of "get."

-----------

BUT...

I did a search at www.google.com, and I found many British websites that used the word "gotten".

If you type "gotten" then ".co.uk" at google, you will find many British websites that still use the word.

BangaThursday, March 25, 2004, 19:17 GMT

Gotten is still used in England, just like forgotten. But I've heard more people say "got" and "forgot"

"I've gotten"
"I got" << used more

"I've forgotten"
"I forgot" <<< used more

Although say any of them and people easily understand you. I suppose as language evolves people start using the easiest or quickest thing to say.

BangaThursday, March 25, 2004, 19:20 GMT

Anyway, makes sense to use "got" and "forgot" instead anyway.

After, they are both past participles of "get" and "forget".

forgot - forget
got - get

better than....

forgotten - forget
gotten - get

JoeThursday, March 25, 2004, 19:48 GMT

''Forgotten'' and ''gotten'' are better than ''forgot'' and ''got'' as past participles. I've got a bicycle. I've gotten to the next house. ''I've got'' and ''I've gotten'' mean different things.

BangaSaturday, March 27, 2004, 00:03 GMT

How are they?

In England,

"I've got to the next house" would be used instead of "I've gotten to the next house".

To you, "I've got" and "I've gotten" might seem different, but they are both the same thing, it's just what you think is better at the time. They both mean the same thing.

JoeSaturday, March 27, 2004, 00:13 GMT

Banga, ''I've got a bicycle'' means I own one and ''I've gotten a bicycle'' means ''I have had one''. ''I've got a bicycle'' and ''I've gotten a bicycle'' do not mean the same thing. ''I've got'' is not a past participle. ''Gotten'' as past participle is better than just plain ''got''.

It's not anymore better to say ''got'' instead of ''gotten'' as past participle than to say. ''I've ate {instead of eaten} dinner''? ''I've got bit {instead of bitten} by the dog'' and {I've stole a magazine and I've broke in''.

mjd Saturday, March 27, 2004, 08:15 GMT

To me it would sound quite odd not to use "gotten." Uses of got/gotten in the U.S.:

"I've got a bike." (This means I have a bike right now).
"I've gotten a bike." (This means I have received a bike at some point in the past).

When using the verb "to get" as synonym for the verb "to receive," there isn't much confusion. For example:

"I've got letters like that before."
"I've gotten letters like that before." (These are both talking about things that happened in the past...they mean the same thing).

Where the confusion arises is when "to get" is used as a synonym for the verb to have. For example:

"I've got those letters."
"I've gotten those letters." (In the U.S., the first sentence would mean one has those two letters in his/her possession, while the second sentence means that one has received those letters at some point in the past).